Food

And if the answer is “yes” to fresh basil, is it spicy globe, Siam Queen or maybe blue spice? What sounds like exotic varieties of coffee or tea are actually some of the many types of fresh basil.

Thinking of basil usually conjures up the bright green, large-leafed type seen pre-cut in the produce department of the grocery store or in pots sold in the same department. Yet the species botanically known as Ocimum basilicum has some 100 cultivars (cultured varieties) in its family.

Sloppy, fatty, savory, starchy and delicious. Do you really need any other reasons to make this utterly satisfying and summery grilled sausage and potato dish?

And it doesn’t get much easier than this. You start by tossing a whole mess of new potatoes with olive oil and salt, then setting those on the grill until the skins get just crunchy while the insides get soft. Meanwhile, on the other side of the grill you drop down a disposable foil pan filled with Italian sausages, sun-dried tomatoes, whole garlic cloves, sliced onions and bell peppers.

I have a serious comfort food association with chicken salad sandwiches. Particularly in summer.

That’s when Mom made them for me for lunch. And I don’t mean salads WITH chicken (the “ugh” of the healthy menu at fast-casual restaurants). I mean the sloppy, sticky diner-style chicken salads all gloopy with mayonnaise, speckled with sweet pickle relish and studded with crunchy bits of chopped celery. And the best part of the chicken salad? Those clumps that oozed out from between the bread slices to land with a plop on the plate. I ate those with my fingers.

The two most common side dishes at a barbecue are coleslaw and potato salad. But as much as I love those, I firmly believe it’s time for corn salad to take its rightful place at the picnic table.

Corn is summer’s chameleon. It can take on a sweet and delicate personality when eaten raw or lightly steamed, or it can hit the grill and get a little smoky char to become the bold hero of the table. And once it has been charred and blistered a bit, corn can hold up to the heat of fresh chilies and other big flavors.

I love grilling vegetables because doing so concentrates their natural sugars and amps up their flavor. During the summer, the usual suspects are zucchini, eggplant, onions, peppers and corn. They’re all delicious this way and — Bonus! — they all become tender in an agreeably short amount of time.

But it recently occurred to me that a number of the veggies I love roasting in the oven — broccoli, cauliflower and carrots — might also shine if cooked on the grill. Turns out, they do!

BRISTOL — On Saturday, Alexander and Paige Olsen had a field day. The 4-year-old twins from Rivergrove, Ill., were with their mother and grandmother, picking strawberries at Thompson Strawberry Farm for the very first time.

“We did it before we had kids, and thought we would bring them out this year,” said their mother, Claire Olsen.